General practitioners in the field A qualitative study of general practitioners' experiences in disaster healthcare

Background General practitioners' (GPs‘) usual professional roles are clearly defined in communities; however, during disasters, their roles become ill defined, ad hoc and opportunistic. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the experiences and changed roles of GPs when disaster struck their communities. Methods A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with a purposive sample of GPs who had experienced disasters in Australia or New Zealand (NZ) between 2009 and 2016. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis. Results Thirty-eight GPs reported diverse and effective contributions to disasterresponse efforts. Four main themes emerged: GPs responded spontaneously to contribute; GPs adapted their usual expertise to provide disaster healthcare; personal and professional challenges experienced were consistent across different types of disaster; and unlike Australian GPs, NZ GPs felt better integrated and valued in the broader disaster-response system. Discussion The results document GPs’ roles and experiences in disaster healthcare and highlight how GPs contribute to meeting crucial healthcare needs in communities during and following disasters. Better defining, integrating and supporting GP roles in disaster systems is likely to improve disaster healthcare.